TORONTO, April 13 2021 — Visa Canada is excited to announce it placed 10th on the 2021 list of Best Workplaces™ in Canada (1000+ employees), alongside 50 of the highest-rated workplaces across the country. This is the third year in a row Visa has been recognized for this award by Great Place to Work™.
While 2020 was a difficult year full of unknowns, it also brought about a lot of change and new opportunities. We learned how to work remotely, found new ways to stay connected to our colleagues and celebrated milestones virtually. Below are some of the ways we built a resilient work culture for our employees:
#WFH
In March 2020, with the safety and wellbeing of our employees top of mind, we transitioned our entire Canada office to work from home. Since then, we have been working diligently to ensure our employees feel supported. We’ve hosted bi-weekly meetings with Stacey Madge, Visa Canada’s Country Manager and President, to keep employees up-to-date with the changing COVID-19 landscape and its effect on our business. We equipped employees with technology to promote comfort and efficiency. Plus, we expanded our existing wellness credit for employees to use towards sports equipment, mindfulness and wellness apps, a personal trainer, home office equipment such as a standing desk, or hobbies like photography, cooking or crafts.
Prioritizing Mental Health
Keeping employee wellness top-of-mind, we increased the hours of our wellness consultant, to offer more meditations, stretch breaks, webinars and individualized nutritional consultations. We also extended our Wellbeing hours program – where we encourage employees to log off at 1:00 p.m. every Friday – for the duration of the pandemic, to encourage work-life balance and flexibility.
Encouraging Engagement
Despite the challenges of this year, we also had some fun. We hosted more than 50 virtual events including holiday festivities and our second annual Wellness Week. Employees participated in virtual fitness challenges, cooking classes, fundraisers, wine tastings and much more.
Promoting Inclusion & Diversity
Visa Canada is proud to offer employees a workplace that celebrates inclusion and diversity. In 2020, our Inclusion & Diversity (I&D) Committee hosted a number of celebrations such as Ramadan, International Women’s Day, and Pride Month. We also launched the first Visa Canada Cookbook to celebrate the diversity of our employees through food.
Leading as a Great Place to Work
Over the past year, Visa Canada has been recognized for its innovative solutions, talented employees and leadership in Canada’s payments ecosystem. In 2020, Visa was named one of Canada’s top 10 most influential brands by Ipsos, one of Greater Toronto Area’s Top 100 Employers, and a Best Workplace™ in Technology, Best Workplace™ Managed by Women, Best Workplace™ for Diversity, Best Workplace™ for Women and Best Workplace™ for Mental Wellness by Great Place to Work®.
"The past year has demonstrated the incredible resilience of our employees at Visa Canada,” said Stacey Madge, Country Manager and President, Visa Canada. "Their hard work, dedication and flexibility are the driving force behind this exciting recognition. This isn’t the first time that we’ve been honoured with this award, but in an especially difficult year, it feels more meaningful than ever before.”
About GPTW
The list of Best Workplaces™ in Canada is based on an overall Trust Index score from the employees who provide feedback on five principles (credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie). Organizations must be Great Place to Work Certified™ in the past year to be eligible for the Best Workplaces™ in Canada list.